The Amish Voice 8
1
Corinthians 15:12-14:
Now if Christ be
preached that he rose from the dead, how
say some among you that there is no
resurrection of the dead? But if there be no
resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not
risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our
preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
Throughout Christian history, no event
stands out as sharply as the resurrection of
Jesus Christ. Many in that day could not
believe that such an event really took place.
In all the funerals you and I have witnessed,
death has always been final. Simple
reasoning tells us that the resurrection is
impossible. But God had a plan. Death
would lose its sting, and the grave would
lose its victory. The proof is the resurrection
of his only son, Jesus Christ. God did this to
show us ordinary folks that we could have
the same benefit by believing in his son.
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul tells the church
how important the resurrection is to
believers. Some people said Jesus didn’t
actually rise bodily from the dead. After all,
weren’t his teachings the important thing
without needing to stretch your belief so far?
Even to this day people struggle with the
idea of the dead being raised. It defies our
experience to believe that those who died
long ago could have a new, living body.
Therefore, some speculate that it must be
only a spiritual resurrection.
Paul says that the most important facts
about the gospel are that Christ died for our
sins, was buried, and was raised on the third
day. He appeared to Peter, the twelve, and
then to more than five hundred of the
brothers at the same time. However, some
could not believe that they were actually
seeing a resurrected Jesus Christ. In Mark’s
gospel, the risen Jesus rebuked the eleven
disciples for refusing to believe others who
reported seeing a risen Jesus (Mark 16:13-
14).
Think for a minute how some even today
believe that the disciples were mistaken
about seeing a physically resurrected Jesus.
Those people might say that the writers of
the gospel have perpetrated a myth about the
resurrection. That would make the gospel
writers all liars. Not just ordinary liars, but
worse, because they had lied about God.
Could you trust the writings of such a
person? Certainly not! The entire teaching of
Jesus, including the Sermon on the Mount in
Matthew chapter 5, would fall! The entire
New Testament would be rendered worthless
in one stroke!
If the resurrection is not really a bodily
resurrection from the dead, then Paul says it
would be better to eat, drink, and have a
party, because life will soon end. If the
resurrection is not real, then we would be
better off doing something else on a Sunday
morning such as going fishing or playing
games of some kind.
In Luke chapter 24, Jesus suddenly
appeared to the disciples behind locked
doors, startling them. They thought that they
were seeing a ghost. Jesus asked for some
food. They gave him a piece of broiled fish,
which he ate, reminding them that a ghost
cannot do such a thing. What they saw was
indeed a body raised from the dead. They
were hard to convince, but once they were
convinced, they died declaring that these
things were true! The language used is the
English word “testify.” When the writers of
the New Testament testified that these things
were true, it was not just an ordinary
statement; they placed their entire credibility
on the line.
1
Corinthians 15:15 says:
Yea, and we
are found false witnesses of God; because we
have testified of God that he raised up
Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that
the dead rise not.
If the Bible writers were false witnesses,
then all they have written falls flat. There is
no use in praying and using the name of
Jesus. The teachings all fall, because in one
instance the writers have been false
witnesses.
The fact that Jesus has overcome death is
a great source of comfort for me. He rose not
only for his own sake, but to reach out and
offer what he had attained to as many as
would in return reach out and believe on his
name. John 1:12 says;
But as many as
received him, to them gave he power to
become the sons of God, even to them that
believe on his name.
That gives me
confidence that death for me is not final. I
pray it will for you, too!
Eli Stutzman
8717
Beattie Rd RR 1
Staffordville, ON NOJ1YO
Canada—(519) 866-3737
Bodily Resurrection: Can it possibly be real?
—
Eli Stutzman
Cracked Pots
An elderly Chinese woman had two
large pots, each hung on the ends of a
pole which she carried across her neck.
One of the pots had a crack in it while
the other pot was perfect and always
delivered a full portion of water.
At the end of the long walks from
the stream to the house, the
cracked pot arrived only half
full.
For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only
one and a half pots of water.
Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, but the poor
cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could
only do half of what it had been made to do.
After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman
one day by the stream. 'I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side
causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.'
The old woman smiled, 'Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of
the path, but not on the other pot's side?'
'
That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower
seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water
them.'
For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the
table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty
to grace the house.' —End
